Clatsop Community College
1653 Jerome, Astoria OR 97103
For immediate release
Contact: Lenore Morrisson (503) 338-2473

Oregon’s ‘Great Birthright’ Preserved: The Story of the Beach Bill: Oregon Chautauqua Program

Clatsop Community College Arts & Ideas is pleased to sponsor an Oregon Chautauqua program by Matt Love entitled “Oregon’s ‘Great Birthright’ Preserved: The Story of the Beach Bill.” This free, public program will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, May 11 at the Performing Arts Center in Astoria. This program is funded by the Oregon Council for the Humanities (OCH).
In 1913, Governor Oswald West signed a law that declared Oregon’s beaches a public highway, and thus, public property, to provide citizens with access to “the great birthright of our people.” It wasn’t until 1966 that challenges to ownership of the dry sands above the median high tide mark came into focus. A picnicking couple was told they were trespassing on the sand at a Cannon Beach motel, and the authorities who investigated their complaint were shocked to find that the state was in legal limbo to prevent similar trespassing charges.

Journalist Matt Love tells the story of the fight for House Bill 1601, commonly known as the Beach Bill, in the remarkable 1967 legislative session. The bill’s passage marked the beginning of an era of progressive conservation measures that provided a national, and even international, model and helped define Oregon’s political, cultural and recreational life. Love weaves in press accounts, primary resources, oral histories and artifacts to consider this seminal moment in our state.

Love lives on the Oregon Coast where for eight years he has served as caretaker of the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge near Pacific City. He’s the author of Grasping Wastrels vs. Beaches Forever Inc.: Covering the Fights for the Soul of the Oregon Coast (Part One of the Beaver State Trilogy) and The Far Out Story of Vortex I (Part Two of the Beaver State Trilogy). Love is a regular op-ed contributor for The Oregonian. He teaches English and journalism at Taft High School in Lincoln City.

Mr. Love’s program is made possible by funding from the Oregon Council for the Humanities, a non-profit, independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. OCH believes that knowledge and ideas are fundamental to the health of our communities. The council’s programs encourage Oregonians to learn about and discuss social, cultural and public issues. For more information about OCH or Oregon Chautauqua, please contact Carol E. Hickman at (503) 241-0543 or chickman@oregonhum.org.

The Performing Arts Center is located at 16th and Franklin in Astoria. For more information about Clatsop Community College Arts & Ideas, contact Lenore Morrisson at (503) 338-2473.